[ISSUE]: Random freezes after a while when playing games on HDD/USB

[Asais10]

Checks

• I have checked existing OPL issues for duplicates and found none
• I am using either OPL latest stable version, or archived version or OPL beta version

Describe the issue

The freeze is completely random, sometimes it happens after a hour of playtime sometimes nearly instantly. It happens when I play PS2 games on OPL, it also happened once when I played Mortal Kombat Trilogy on POPStarter from USB with HugoPocked fixes, launched from OPL as an APP.

When it freezes, the audio continues as normal (In GTA 3, the radio songs continue as normal) but the game does not respond to inputs and it freezes on a frame.

The disk tray can be opened and closed. You need to hold down the power button for a couple of seconds for the console to shut off, it doesn't shut off if you press the button lightly like normal.

It has nothing to do with the network adapter since the freeze also happened with USB, and I also tried putting it under a laptop cooler and that also changes nothing. The network adapter is IDE-to-SATA modded, and I had switched between one 1TB 2.5 laptop HDD (that I currently use) and a 3.5 1TB HDD that I used before and switched because I thought it was the cause of these problems.

The PS2 had a Modbo 4.0 modchip (Matrix Infinity v1.93 clone), I ran it with FreeMCBoot v1.966 and the modchip disabled. Also tried it without FreeMCBoot but with DEV1 MC0 BOOT.ELF to run OPL, didn't change anything so not modchip related.

The USB stick is 128GB Kingston, I tried playing without it plugged in and it still froze. I also tried setting HDD and USB from AUTO to Manual, and only turning on the HDD, that lead to the longest time without the freeze in GTA 3.

Resident Evil 4 froze once when was left on idle on the pause menu for a bit too long, but that usually doesn't happen.

If this can't be fixed, do you think it's a fault with the PS2 or the HDD/USB? If it's the latter, do you recommend one of those SD memory cards, SMB or a new network adapter?

Console model

SCPH-30004

OPL version / revision

OPL Stable 1.10, albeit a while ago I used the newest beta and that still happens

In which device(s) have you experienced this issue?

USB, HDD

Context and extra information

Grand Theft Auto III, [SLES-50330], http://redump.org/disc/4262/
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, [SLUS-20552], http://redump.org/disc/2440/
Resident Evil 4, [SLUS-21134], http://redump.org/disc/3791/
Mortal Kombat Trilogy, [SLUS-00330], http://redump.org/disc/469/

[Asais10]

The USB freeze might have been an POPStarter problem, I could not confirm whether the audio would loop or not because it froze on a loading screen

[Asais10]

Just got the freeze on GTA 3 PAL V1.40 again and there was a crackle before that happened